A Tim Nicholls-led Liberal National Government will get out of the way of Queensland businesses, so they can focus on creating jobs and employing more Queenslanders.

The Problem

The Palaszczuk Labor Government has made it harder to do business by increasing red tape and regulation.

Labor scrapped the LNP’s plan to reduce payroll taxes, they’ve increased regulations in the hospitality, plumbing and resources industries and they’ve slugged a new investment tax on the property industry.

These anti-business moves have impacted confidence, with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland Pulse Survey highlighting a huge drop in sentiment under the Palaszczuk Labor Government. State Government inaction is listed as one of the top two factors weighing down business confidence.

Our Record

In government, the LNP set an ambitious target of reducing red tape by 20 per cent over six years.

We appointed an Assistant Minister for Regulatory Reform to drive our agenda and Ministers and department heads were given specific red tape reduction targets to report against.

We started producing a Red Tape Report Card, which measured our progress towards achieving our target. We also delivered important reforms, including:

Increasing the payroll tax threshold, so more businesses pay less tax

Halving the number of health and safety forms businesses need to fill in without compromising safety, and

Reducing the need for unnecessary permits and licences.

In less than three years we progressed more than 500 red tape reform initiatives, with Queensland Treasury independently assessing the benefits of these changes at $425 million a year. This was a significant achievement and showed the LNP was tracking well against our 20 per cent red tape reduction target.

Our Real Plan

A Tim Nicholls-led LNP Government will again commit to a 20 per cent red tape reduction target over six years. This target is vital if we are to successfully change the focus in government departments from one that promotes red tape to one that actively reduces red tape.

This is about ensuring businesses are focussed on employing more Queenslanders and not on bureaucratic red tape. To achieve our goal we will:

Measure the regulatory burden and establish a baseline so we can map progress against achieving our target

Appoint an industry “go to” person to drive regulatory reform

Set red tape reduction performance targets for Ministers and department heads, and

Have an annual Red Tape Repeal Day set aside every year in Parliament for slashing bureaucracy.

We want businesses to spend less time complying with burdensome paperwork and more time focused on creating jobs and employing more Queenslanders.

This is just one part of our economic plan to build a better Queensland by creating jobs, supporting small business and strengthening the state’s economy.

The LNP will build a better Queensland with more jobs and opportunities by making it easier to do business and reducing costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is having a target important?As highlighted publicly by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland, it is essential to have both a baseline measure and a binding target to reduce the existing stock of regulation and restrict future growth. That is why we have once again committed to a 20 per cent reduction target.

What did the LNP achieve while in government?We created the Office of Best Practice Regulation as part of the Queensland Competition Authority. This was a key election commitment to drive regulatory reform and help restore transparency and accountability. Our consistent approach meant we produced regular reports mapping progress in reducing red tape.

Some of the reforms we achieved include:

Businesses with a payroll tax liability of less than $20,000 now only need to lodge returns twice a year, instead of every month

Overhauling planning and development and speeding up project approval processes, saving businesses $30 million per year

Repealing the waste levy, saving businesses $88 million a year in fees

Simplifying regulation relating to routine plumbing work, saving $18 million per year

Reducing paperwork and simplifying permits for ecotourism operators to access our national parks, saving $610,000 per year, and

Reducing the average premium rate of workers compensation by 17 per cent, giving Queensland the cheapest average premium rate in the country and the strongest safety net for workers.

How has Labor increased red tape?By contrast, Labor has stifled Queensland’s business community with more red tape and regulation and has dropped the ball in this important space. Labor has:

Increased red tape for homebuyers and tenants by adding page after page to property industry forms

Re-introduced workplace health and safety reporting requirements that were previously scrapped by the Bligh Government

Increased taxes on the property sector, with people having to comply with more paperwork

Changed licensing laws making it harder for businesses in entertainment precincts to operate

Tried to stifle the development of regional Queensland with draconian vegetation management laws

Put a stop to budgeted payroll tax relief for small businesses

Introduced even more burdensome regulations in the plumbing industry, and

Created thousands of pages of red tape.

Why will the LNP’s reforms work?By committing to a target, setting performance measures and having a “go to” person we are ensuring senior Ministers and departmental officials take ownership of these important reforms.

Reporting annually against our targets ensures public confidence in this important reform for an LNP Government that wants to get out of the way of business and build a better Queensland.